SAUGUS – Floral designer Bert Ford flies all over the United States strutting his stems and Wednesday night he landed in Saugus.The renowned florist, gardener and man about soil showed off his talents to a Town Hall auditorium packed primarily with women, some draped in flowery summer dresses and topped off with decorative hats. The event marked the Saugus Garden Club’s annual meeting and its tradition of bringing in national experts to educate and entertain. Ford did both.Introduced by club President Nancy Sayles, the guest speaker quickly got down to work creating floral arrangements, his deftly moving hands projected onto an oversize screen for all to see. Before the evening was over, more than a dozen arrangements filled the tables to either side of Ford’s workbench.Ford is owner of Ford Flower Co. in Salem, N.H. and among an elite group of New England floral design professionals. Inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers in 2001, his work is featured in books and magazines. A graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in plant science, he travels extensively to deliver presentations to garden clubs and other organizations across the country.”Apologizing for his collared shirt and pullover sweater, he said, “I work every day in jeans and get dirty.”Ford told the avid gardeners to celebrate spring but not get carried away outdoors until the weather warms. “What should you be doing now? Absolutely nothing. Don’t pull the snow off the shrubs. If by June they haven’t raised up, then you have a problem,” he said.While creating his arrangements, Ford unleashed some general advice and a flurry of design tips. Among them: buy your flowers wherever you can ? flower shop, supermarket, Costco. Don’t feel daunted by Martha Stewart, who recommends buying 50 long-stem white roses on the way to the church, tied with a primitive piece of twine.”You don’t need 2,500 roses to make a beautiful bouquet,” he said, reiterating the virtue of frugality.Other tips: Use a sharp knife to cut stems, not gardening shears because the latter crushes xylem and phloem cells, keeping out vital water.Use the packet of dry chemical that comes with your purchase of fresh flowers, he said, explaining that it kills bacteria in the vase water. Bacteria can clog cells in the stem and kill the plant, he explained.Floral arrangements are best made with an uneven number of flower stems and occasionally with the introduction of a curved line by using a piece of grass or branch creates interest. “The eyes follow the curve,” he said.Pushing magnolia sprigs into a foam base, he manipulated them into natural shapes, keeping the insertions together to make it appear all came from the same tree. “I don’t know many women who don’t like to manipulate,” he said, prompting a chorus of laughter.If planning a formal dinner, don’t make the table arrangements too high. “That is, unless you don’t want to see who is sitting across from you,” he said. And don’t use moss. It can smell bad and spores may irritate those with allergies.As for dispelling old wive’s tales, he said, “Don’t put ginger ale or Sprite into the water. The sugar encourages growth of bacteria.” And don’t use tulips for floral competition work because they continue to grow when placed in water.If daffodils are on the design radar screen, think again. According to Ford, they secrete a syrupy substance that kills other flowers.The audience included members of garden clubs in Lynnfield, Marblehead, Ipswich and Wakefield. “We always try to have someone well known at our annual meeting,” said Saugus club member Randy Sue Abber. “Next month, Diane Blangs, one of our own members, will give a talk on therapeutic gardening. She teaches people how to bend down properly and how raking and hoeing can be great exercise. Fresh air is healthy for you and just being in the garden, working with the soil, is a way to relax.”Abber emphasized the club strives to educate. “We go to the library and teach ki